LIMITED W

ARRANTYYour Carvin product is guaranteed against failure for ONE YEAR unless otherw

ise stated. Vacuum tubes

are guaranteed for 90 days. Carvin will service and supply all parts at no charge to the custom

er providingthe unit is under w

arranty. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer. CARVIN DOES NOT PAY

FOR PARTS OR SERVICING OTHER THAN OUR OWN. A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL INVOICE IS REQUIRED

TO VERIFY YOUR WARRANTY. Carvin assum

es no responsibility for horn drivers or speakers damaged by

this unit. This warranty does not cover, and no liability is assum

ed, for damage due to: natural disasters,

accidents, abuse, loss of parts, lack of reasonable care, incorrect use, or failure to follow instructions. This

warranty is in lieu of all other w

arranties, expressed or implied. No representative or person is authorized to

represent or assume for Carvin any liability in connection w

ith the sale or servicing of Carvin products. CARVINSHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAM

AGES. W

hen RETURNING merchandise to the factory, you m

ust call for a return authorization number. If your unit

is out of warranty, you w

ill be charged the current FLAT RATE for parts and labor to bring your unit up to fac-tory specifications. Visit w

ww

.carvinservice.com.

HELP SECTION1) AM

P WILL NOT TURN ON

Check the power to the am

p. Check for tripped circuit breakers, unplugged extension cords or power-

strip switches that m

ay be turned off. Check the fuse. If a dark brownish color or no w

ire can be seenw

ithin the glass tube, then replace. The amp m

ay be perfectly fine but occasionally a fuse may blow

becauseof high AC voltage surges. After the fuse has been replaced w

ith the proper Slow Blow

value and if thefuse fails again, the am

p will require servicing.

2) NO OUTPUT with POW

ER light ONTubes dam

aged in shipping will be the prim

ary reason for your amp to not function properly. Please give

us a call to help guide you through this simple repair.

3) KEEP YOUR AMP LOOKING NEW

Use a damp cloth to w

ipe the controls on the front & rear chassis panels. W

ipe the black vinyl coveringw

ith a damp cloth.

CAUTIONRISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS (EUROPEAN)The conductors in the AC pow

er cord are colored in accordance with the follow

ing code.GREEN &

YELLOW—

Earth BLUE—Neutral BROW

N—Live

U.K. MAIN PLUG W

ARNING: A molded m

ain plug that has been cut off from the cord is unsafe. NEVER

UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU INSERT A DAM

AGED OR CUT MAIN PLUG INTO A

POWER SOCKET.

IMPORTANT! FOR YOUR PROTECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOW

ING:W

ATER AND MOISTURE: Appliance should not be used near w

ater (near a bathtub, washbow

l, kitchen sink, laundrytub, in a w

et basement, or near a sw

imm

ing pool, etc). Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids arenot spilled into the enclosure through openings.

POWER SOURCES: The appliance should be connected to a pow

er supply only of the type described in the oper-ating instructions or as m

arked on the unit.

GROUNDING OR POLARIZATION: Precautions should be taken so that the grounding or polarization means of an

appliance is not defeated.

POWER CORD PROTECTION: Pow

er supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or

pinched by items placed upon or against them

, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience recepta-cles, and the point w

here they exit from the appliance.

SERVICING: The user should not attempt to service the unit beyond that described in the operating instructions.

All other servicing should be referred to qualified service personnel.

FUSING: If your unit is equipped with a fuse receptacle, replace only w

ith the same type fuse. Refer to replace-

ment text on the unit for correct fuse type.

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL! THIS UNITCONTAINS HIGH VOLTAGE INSIDE!

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

This symbol is intended

to alert the user to thepresence of im

portantoperating and m

ainte-nance (servicing) instructions in theliterature accom

panying the appli-ance.

MODEL X100B AM

P SPECIFICATIONS:

RMS Pow

er:100, 50 or 25 w

atts, switchable

Output Impedance:

4, 8 or 16ohm, sw

itchableInput Im

pedance:220,000 ohm

sTone Controls:

BASS, MID, TREBLE, PRESENCE

Graphic EQ:5-band, 18dB boost or cut

Channels:2—

switchable

Ch 1 Sensitivity:1m

V for clippingCh 2 Sensitivity:

16mV for full output

footswitch functions:

FS44L: channel, reverb, effect loop and boost/mute

FS22: channel, reverbVoiced Line Out:

1.5 VAC @ 100 w

atts RMS

Preamp Tubes:

3—12AX7’s (dual stage)

Power Am

p Tubes:4—

6L6GC (5881)’s (power pentode), sw

itchable to EL34’sUSA M

odel:120VAC, 300VA6A , slow

blow fuse, 5x20m

mExport M

odel:230VAC, 300VA3A, slow

blow fuse, 5x20m

mCabinet Size:

Head: 24.25”W x 10.5”H x 9.5”D

Combo: 26”W

x 17.5”H x 10.25”DCabinet:

Multi-ply hardw

wood

Net Weight:

35 lbs (head) , 58 lbs (combo)

Warranty:

One YearCountry of M

fg:M

ade in USAOptions:

-CV3200 (head) or CV3212 (combo) cover

-FS44L footswitch - 4 function

-FS22 footswitch - channel and reverb

-GX412T or GX412B (matching 4x12” speaker cabinets)

CAR

VIN

ENG

INEER

ING

DATA

X-1

00

B TU

BE G

UITA

R A

MP

OPERATING MANUAL

Congratulations on your purchase of your X100Bseries IV tube am

pli-fier. Carvin has been building tube guitar am

plifiers since 1949. Spendtim

e with your new

amp

and get to know its m

any sounds.You’ll discoverw

hy many creative guitarists have choosen the X100B to achieve their sound.

HISTORY OF THE X-100BThe X-100B holds a place dear in the hearts of guitar am

p affectionados. TheX100B series tube am

ps were a m

ainstay on many arena stages and M

TV videosthroughout the 1980's. Artists such as Frank Zappa, Craig Chaquico w

ith JeffersonStarship, W

arrant, Warren Cuccurullo w

ith Missing Persons, and Steve Vai all played

X100B amps. Frank Zappa raved about the Clean channel on this am

p. Steve Vairecorded a song called "Blue Pow

der" (available on his first solo release Flexable)featuring the X100B. As a tribute to the original X100B am

ps, the new Series IV

is badged with the vintage Carvin logo.

DESIGN OVERVIEWThe circuitry of the X-100B allow

s several layers of control over the dynamics

and tone of the amp from

the input jack to the speaker output.

PREAMP

Great sounds start with a great pream

p. The glassy clean sounds of the Rhythmchannel sparkle even m

ore in the Bright setting. The Lead channel Drive controlis com

bined with a Hi Gain sw

itch for highly selective control over the 12AX7 tubeoverdrive.

TONE CONTROLSThe BASS, M

ID, TREBLE, and PRESENCE use active circuits to create a wide range

of cut or boost from each control.

5-BAND MASTER EQ

The X-100B features a five band graphic EQ that is assignable to the Lead orRhythm

channel. An extreme am

ount of control is available here, allowing you

to define your sound in a way not available on m

ost amps.

SWITCHABLE EFFECT

LOOPThe X-100B

features a switching effect loop for true bypass of effects.

CUSTOM REVERB

The X-100Breverb is custom

designed for a full, natural sound. The “long tail”sw

itching system turns off only the send to let the reverb to decay w

ithout beingcut off.

POWER AM

P CONTROLThe RM

SPOW

ERsw

itch not only reduces maxim

um output, but also lets you drive

the power am

p into saturation at lower volum

es while using all four tubes.

GIVE YOURSELF A BOOST OR KEEP IT QUIETThe M

aster volume control can be configured as a variable volum

e Boost, avail-able by footsw

itch. When engaged, it w

ill boost your amp’s output by up to 9dB

for solos or any time you need to stand out in the m

ix. The footswitch w

ill MUTE

the amp in M

aster mode, allow

ing you to switch guitars quietly.

76-22100A 0308

6L6 POWER

TUBESYour am

p is equipped with 6L6 pow

er tubes because of their powerful output

and responsive tone. The characteristics of these power tubes respond to the

wide dynam

ic range of guitar playing. If you play soft the tubes remain clean and

if you increase your attack they respond accordingly.

HIGH IMPEDANCE GUITAR INPUT

Carvin has long known about the effects of m

iss-loading a guitar pickup, which

can cause high frequency loss. The X100B guards against this loss with its high

input impedance. W

e also considered the capacitance of the average shieldedguitar cable w

hich can reduce the high frequency response of your guitar pick-ups. Careful com

ponent layout and lead placement control oscillations and noise

without extra capacitance in the circuit, allow

ing shimm

ering highs to be repro-duced faithfully.

For your records, you may wish to record the following information.

Serial No._____________________ I

nvoice Date_______________

RECEIVING INSPECTION—read before getting started

INSPECT YOUR AMP FOR DAM

AGE which m

ay have occurred during shipping. If damage

is found, please notify the shipping company and CARVIN im

mediately.

SAVE THE CARTON & ALL PACKING M

ATERIALS. In the event you have to re-ship your unit,alw

ays use the original carton and packing material. This w

ill provide the best possible protec-tion during shipm

ent. CARVIN and the shipping company are not liable for any dam

age causedby im

proper packing. SAVE YOUR INVOICE. It w

ill be required for warranty service if needed in the future.

SHIPMENT SHORTAGE. If you find item

s missing, they m

ay have been shipped separately.Please allow

several days for the rest of your order to arrive before inquiring.RECORD THE SERIAL NUM

BER on the enclosed warranty card or below

on this manual

for your records. Keep your portion of the card and return the portion with your nam

e andcom

ments to us.12340 W

orld Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128(800) 854-2235 w

ww

.carvin.com

c

12340 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128

(800) 854-2235 ww

w.carvin.com

c

This symbol is intended to

alert the user to the pres-ence of uninsulated “danger-ous

voltage” w

ithin the

product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient

magnitude to constitute a risk of electric

shock to persons.

FS-44L FUNCTIONS AND LED’S

FS-22 FUNCTIONS

SWITCH

LED ONLED OFF

A. CHANNEL| LEAD

| RHYTHMB. REVERB

| REVERB ON| REVERB OFF

C. EFFECTS| LOOP ON

| LOOP OFFD. BOOST m

ode*| BOOST ON

| BOOST OFFD. M

UTE mode*

| AMP ON

| AMP M

UTED

* BOOST or MUTE M

ODE is changed with the “FS BOOST”

switch on the front panel of the am

p.

SWITCH

FUNCTIONSELECT

LEAD / RHYTHMREVERB

/EFFECTSREVERB ON / REVERB OFF

X-212B combo (tw

o 12” speakers)

X-100B head

AC

DB

GETTING STARTED QUICKLY If you are like m

ost players, you probably want

to plug in your new am

p and get playing rightaw

ay. You can read the rest of the manual later

to learn the finer points of operating your amp.

In order to get started you will need your X-100B

amp, a 120 (or 230) AC grounded pow

er outlet,your instrum

ent, and a standard guitar cord. Ifyou have the X-100B head version you w

ill alsoneed a speaker cord and speaker cabinet.

Plug in your speaker and set the “SPEAKEROHM

S” switch to m

atch your speaker. If you havethe FS44L footsw

itch, plug it into the rear 5-pin“FS44L” footsw

itch jack. Or, if you have the FS22footsw

itch, plug it into the rear 1/4 inch “FS22”footsw

itch jack. Turn all volume controls off. W

iththe am

p turned off, you may then plug it into the

proper AC voltage.Now

, plug in your guitar and turn the POWER

(1 / 0) switch to ON ( 1 ). W

ait 60 seconds orm

ore for the tubes to warm

up, then turn theSTANDBY sw

itch to OPERATE. The amp w

ill beready to play in a few

seconds. Gradually raisethe channel volum

e and master volum

e controlsand re-adjust the tone controls to your liking.Please call if you feel your am

p is malfunction-

ing. Occasionally tubes are damaged in shipping.

FRO

NT P

AN

EL

1. POWER SW

ITCH ( 1 / 0 )The POW

ER switch is to be utilized as the m

asterON/OFF ( 1 / 0 ) sw

itch. One of the two large RED LED’s

near the LEAD or RHYTHM controls w

ill illuminate to

indicate the power is ON.

2. STANDBY / OPERATE SWITCH

After turning the POWER switch ON, wait 60 seconds or

more for the tubes to warm

up - then turn on the STANDBYswitch to OPERATE. W

hen turning the amp OFF, first turn the

switch to STANDBY, then shut off the POWER

switch. Usethe STANDBY switch if you are taking a break. This turns thehigh voltage off, increasing the life of your power tubes whilekeeping the power and pream

p tube filaments on for im

me-

diate use.3. EQ ASSIGNM

ENT SWITCH (LEAD/RHY)

Use this switch to select w

hich channel (LEAD orRHYTHM

) is shaped by the GRAPHIC EQ.4. GRAPHIC EQUALIZERThe G

RAPH

IC EQ is a pow

erful sound shapingtool.Each fader controls up to18dB of boost (slide up)or cut (slide dow

n) for each of the 5 frequencyranges labeled underneath .Select the channel to be EQ’d w

ith the EQ ASSIGN-M

ENTsw

itch (#3), LEAD or RHYTHM.

5. REVERB CONTROLThe X-100B has been custom

designed with a lush,

natural sounding reverb system. Adjust the am

ountof reverb w

ith the REVERB control. Reverb can beturned off by rem

ote footswitch. Only the send is

turned off to allow the end of the reverb to decay w

ith-out being cut off.6. ACTIVE

TONE CONTROLSTo start, set the BASS, M

ID & TREBLE controls at their center(5) position. These controls are to be set according to thetype of sound you want. For added clarity, the PRESENCEcontrols only the highest guitar harm

onics in the 5kHz-10kHzrange. Careful adjustm

ent with the TREBLE control makes

this feature even more useful.

7. FS BOOST SWITCH

This switch changes how

the MASTER volum

e con-trol w

orks. With this sw

itch OFF, the MASTER

controlw

orks normally. In the FS BOOST position, the volum

eof the am

pis set to m

aximum

and the volume of the

amp w

ill be set by the RHYTHM or LEAD controls only.

(see below for m

ore) 8. M

ASTER VOLUME / BOOST LEVEL

FS BOOST switch OFF (DOW

N): Use the MASTER to

change the overall volume level for the am

p when the

FS BOOST switch is OFF. The FS44L can m

ute the amp

output while changing guitars or for quiet passages

in the music w

hen the guitar is not played The redLED over the M

ASTER will turn OFF w

hen the amp is

MUTED by the footsw

itch.FS BOOST sw

itch ON (UP): The MASTER is bypassed,

and the volume of the am

p is controlled only by theRHYTHM

and LEAD settings. The MASTER control is

used to set an overall volume boost of up to 9dB, acti-

vated by the FS44L footswitch. The red LED over the

MASTER w

ill indicate the BOOST is ON. Try using theFS BOOST w

ith the RMS POW

ER feature! (#18) 9. CHANNEL SW

ITCHIn the DOW

N position, the RHYTHM channel is

selected for open, clean sounds with lots of headroom

.In the UP position, the LEAD channel is selected foroverdriven sounds w

ith tube harmonics and sustain.

The channel can also be changed by footswitch. Leave

the switch in the U

P position when using the

footswitch. The LEDs near the LEAD or RHYTHM

con-trols indicate w

hich channel is selected.10. LEAD VOLUM

E W

hen the LEAD channel is active, the volume is

adjusted with the LEAD

control.

11. GAIN SWITCH

The GAIN switch changes the gain structure of the

LEAD channel:OFF (DOW

N)- with the DRIVE

control, go from a

bluesy breakup to a dynamic crunch overdrive.

GAIN (UP)- increases the amount of drive available,

allowing thick distortion harm

onics.12. DRIVE CONTROLAs the DRIVE

is turned up, tube harmonics and sus-

tain are increased. The GAIN switch (#11) also affects

the drive.For textured harm

onics with m

ild tube overdrive, turnthe DRIVE control below

“4”. For increased harmon-

ics and more tube saturation, set the control betw

een4 &

6. For full blown distortion turn on the GAIN sw

itchand set the DRIVE control betw

een 7 and 10 (yourguitar volum

e should be turned all the way up).

The amount of overdrive you can get from

the amp is also

affected by the pickups in your guitar. Output levels vary fromm

odel to model, and single coil pickups generally have less

output than dual coil humbuckers.

Because the X-100B has been “Hot Rodded” with so

much gain, you m

ay encounter feedback. If feedbackis a problem

, reduce the DRIVE or move the guitar to

the side or away from

the speaker(s).13. RHYTHM

VOLUME

When the RHYTHM

channel is active, the volume is

adjusted with the RHYTHM

control.14. BRIGHT SW

ITCHThe BRIGHT switch adds high

end to the preamp, inviting high frequencies to ring

out more easily.

15. GUITAR INPUTA standard 1/4” input jack feeds the signal from

yourguitar to the am

p. Use a professional quality guitarcord no longer than 25 feet. Typical cable capacitanceshould be under 50pf—

the longer the cord, thegreater the capacitance (you can m

easure this with a

capacitance meter). A long cable w

ith high capaci-tance w

ill reduce the overall treble response from your

pickups.

REA

RPA

NEL

16. SPEAKER OUTPUT JACKSTw

o 1/4” SPEAKER JACKS are featured to operate sev-eral speaker system

s at the same tim

e. Calculate thetotal speaker im

pedance based on parallel wiring as

the speaker jacks are wired in parallel. Select the

IMPEDANCE SW

ITCH for the correct impedance.

17. SPEAKER OHMS (IM

PEDANCE) SWITCH

The IMPEDANCE SW

ITCH offers the selection of 4ohm

, 8 ohm or 16 ohm

to match your speaker system

.The correct setting for tw

o 16 ohm speakers or cab-

inets would be 8 ohm

s. The correct setting for two

8 ohm speakers or cabinets w

ould be 4 ohms. Select

the proper impedance. (see IM

PEDANCE CHART at thetop of this page) 18. RM

S POWER SW

ITCHThe 3-position RM

SPOW

ERsw

itch reduces the 100watt

output of the amp dow

n to 50 or 25 watts, w

hile still usingall four output tubes. Low

er settings will allow

the greatsound and feel

of the tube power am

p being over-driven, but at low

er volume levels. For m

aximum

outputpow

er and headroom set the sw

itch to 100watts. For

early power am

p saturation move this sw

itch to50w

atts. S etting this switch to 25w

atts can change thesound dram

atically if desired, by turning up the MASTER

or u sing the FS BOOST (#7) to produce even more

power am

p overdrive!19. POW

ERTUBE BIAS SW

ITCHIf you desire to change pow

er tubes, you may do

so by selecting the external BIAS switch to the EL34

position on the rear panel. Be sure that this switch

is set to the proper position or excessive heat will

damage your tubes. The am

p should be re-biased when

replacing the output tubes.* CAUTION!- The presence of high voltage inside tubeam

ps can cause death or serious injury!

Tube amp biasing should be perform

ed by a quali-fied technician. Do not attem

pt if you are unsure ofyour ability to perform

this operation safely. To set thebias, m

easure the current across the terminals of the

STANDBYsw

itch (set the switch to STANDBY w

henthe am

p is ON). With internal trim

control P10, set theidle current to 100 m

A DC for all tube types.20. LINE OUTThe LINE OUT jack is a fully balanced XLR output forconnecting to pow

er amps or m

ixers without the need

for a direct box. All power am

p dynamics are cap-

tured in this signal, including the RMS POW

ER set-ting. The output level is m

ore than adequate to driveany professional m

ixer or power am

p. A speaker loadm

ust be connected at all times w

hile using the amp.

21. EFFECTS LOOPThe EFFECTS LOOP is a standard series

loop. Thism

eans it sends all signals through your processor. Touse the EFFECTS

LOOP, plug the INPUT of your effectsinto the SEND jack and the OUTPUT of your effects intothe RETURN jack. Use shielded cables, not speakercables. Adjust the processor’s M

IX setting to your liking.If your processor has a “Direct signal ON/OFF” setting,it is usually better to turn it ON.22. LOOP LEVELThe LOOP LEVEL sw

itch allows the X-100B to acco-

modate a variey of devices. If the input of your proces-

sor is being overloaded, use a lower setting. If you are

getting excess noise from your processor, try the 0 or

+4 setting. 0dB is typical for most applications.

23. FS44L FOOTSWITCH JACK

Use only the Carvin FS44L (recomm

mended) or Carvin

FS44. Other footswitches w

ill not work.

* DONOT

use MIDI devices in this jack! *

24. FS22 FOOTSWITCH JACK

The switches on the FS22 footsw

itch control the chan-nel selection and reverb. M

ost foot pedals with 2

switches, a stereo cord and plug w

ill work. How

ever,Carvin’s FS22 is recom

mended

25. AC POWER & FUSE

The detachable ACPOW

ER CORD supplied is designed to operate with

one type of voltage (the European 230V export model

uses a CEE-7 plug cord set). Check the rear power

cord label for the proper voltage. Make sure the cord

is securely inserted into the back of the unit. Plug thecord into a grounded “3” prong” pow

er source. Noattem

pt should ever be made to defeat or use the am

pw

ithout the ground connected.The FUSE is located w

ithin the AC power cord

receptacle. If the amp does not turn on, unplug the

amp and check the fuse, AC pow

er connection, yourspeaker connection and all tubes. Replace the fuseonly w

ith the same size and type.

5X20MM

, 6A SLO-BLOW (3A SLOW

BLOW FOR

240VAC)If no problem

is found and the fuse still blows, your

amp m

ay need service.

HELP SECTIONA) FEEDBACK FROM

THE LEAD CHANNELThe X-100B m

ay feedback when the VOLUM

E, DRIVE, TREBLE andPRESENCE are turned all the w

ay up. Like other high-gain tube amps,

this is normal. To help control feedback and noise, reduce the DRIVE

control, or move the guitar to the side or aw

ay from the speakers.

B) TUBEREPLACEM

ENTGUIDE

It is not uncomm

on for tubes to malfunction during shipping. If

your amp is not w

orking properly, please call or refer to the follow-

ing replacement guide.

1) The 12AX7A preamp tubes are the sm

aller of the two kinds of

tubes, and are located in the following order on your chassis:V1,

V2, V3. To start with, V1 is located closest to the guitar input,

near the output transformer. Replace the tubes if your am

p doesnot w

ork or sounds muddy or dull. V1 is the input tube and affects

both channels. V2 is the main overdrive tube. Replace V3 if no

output is heard when putting a signal through the effect return.

2) If there is no output after replacing the preamp tubes, or if the

fuse blows, try replacing the EL34 output tubes. The am

pshould be rebaised after replacing the output tubes.

3) If the amp stops w

orking and the fuse is blown, turn the am

poff and try replacing the pow

er tubes. One of these tubes may

have a short.

X100B

front & rear panel controls

12

7

34

10

2419

1718

16

65

9

1213

15

20

2122

23

25

8

1114

SSPPEEAAKKEERRCCOOMM

BBIINNAATTIIOONNOOHHMM

SSRREESSUULLTT

SSWWIITTCCHH

SSEETTTTIINNGG

16 ohms & 16ohm

s8

8

8 ohms & 8 ohm

s4

4

8 ohms & 16 ohm

s*5.33

4*16 ohm

s & 4 ohms*

(do not use at 100w setting)3.2

4*CAUTION!

8 ohms & 4 ohm

s(DO NOT USE)

2.6DO

NOTUSE

4 ohms & 4 ohm

s(DO NOT USE)

22DO

NOTUSE

* Use CAUTION with these com

binations.W

hen using 2 speakers with different im

pedances,m

ore power w

ill go to the speaker with the sm

allerim

pedance.Ideal use of the 8&

16 ohm com

bination would be a

16ohm 2x12”cab and an 8ohm

4x12” cab.If your speaker cabinet has a selector sw

itch this canhelp you m

atch the impedance.

SPEAKER OHMS SW

ITCHIM

PEDANCE CHART